Russell: 'I want to stay at Mercedes'

The rumours were fuelled after Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff announced that he was holding talks with Max Verstappen's circle during the Austrian GP. Despite all these rumours, Mercedes driver George Russell assessed the possibility of him leaving the team as 'extremely low'.

Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, but it is known that there are some performance-based exit clauses that could kick in before the summer break. This keeps the possibility of the Dutch driver moving to Mercedes next season on the agenda.

Russell, on the other hand, believes he will stay at the team: “Every team has two seats and every team evaluates the future. I don’t take it personally because I’ve said from the beginning: I’m happy to be a teammate with anyone. There’s a lot of gossip about me but I don’t think that’s going to happen for me. “I want to stay with Mercedes. Toto has never done me wrong. He’s always kept his promises. But of course, he has to do what’s right for the team. It’s not just about me, it’s about the thousands of people who work at Mercedes. I don’t have anything to worry about because I don’t think I’m leaving here. It doesn’t concern me who my teammate is.”

Russell also stressed that he had not spoken to any other teams: “No, I haven’t spoken to any other teams. Frankly, I feel very confident about my future. My performances so far have been good. There have been teams that have approached me before, but I told them that I am loyal to Mercedes and my future is here. Mercedes is my manager anyway, everything goes through them.”

Referring to Wolff's statement that the decision would be clear by the summer break, Russell was not specific about the timetable: "There is no set date but it would be natural for things to be clear before the summer break. Mercedes is also my manager so the decision-making process is somewhat in their hands. There will probably be a development in the next few weeks."

Russell stressed the importance of consistency ahead of the new technical regulations that will come into effect in 2026: “There are so many unknowns for next year: the car, the engine, the fuel… With so many unknowns, our best chance of winning is to continue with the current setup.”

"We are performing at a high level on track and I am personally in top form. Consistency will be our biggest advantage when we go to a new start, as Lando and Charles have been with the same team for a long time."